CHAPTER 4 - Left Broken

As Ethan ate a spoonful of the lunch Sherah had prepared, he couldn’t help but recollect James’ comments.

~How do you think she would react? She loves you dearly, Ethan. All these years she thought you felt the same.~

The memory made it hard for him to swallow his meal. He soon realizes that in the near future, he won’t get to eat any of her food.

He almost choked when he recollected her weird behavior, and as he thought deeply he could no longer brush it off.

She always greets him with a kiss when she sees him, and before leaving, she even sits on his lap while reading documents on his table—earlier she did none of that. 

He bit his lower lip, “Did she hear the conversation I had with James?” He contemplated and felt a sore spot in his chest. He shook his head, trying to remove the idea from his mind, “If she did. She’ll be mad for sure.” 

Ethan knows that Sherah always speaks her mind when she’s happy or sad, especially when she's mad. During their five years of marriage, Sherah always tells him how she feels and shares her thoughts.

Slowly, guilt crawled onto his skin as he remembered calling her, “unwanted forgotten daughter.”

He is in deep thought when his phone starts ringing.

When he checked, it was Sherah. He cleared his throat and answered the call with a gentle voice, “Hey, darl—”

 He hadn’t finished his words when he heard an unfamiliar male voice on the other line.

“Is this Sherah’s husband?” Eliot asks and then proceeds to provide details about what happened and where they were.

Ethan hurriedly drove to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in Australia…

Silas and Rebecca Hawke visited their daughter Sophia in her apartment in Perth. 

The couple could see the veins in Sophia’s forehead bulge in rage when she received a phone call from New York.

Her expression was cold and menacing. “How hard is it to kill a bumpkin? You failed twice today.” She yelled through gritted teeth. 

“The third time is the charm,” the guy says jokingly.

Angering Sophia even more, and without responding, she ended the call. 

“Useless peasants. Waste of money,” she clamored as she threw a glass on the floor, shattering it instantly.

Silas walks to his daughter, coaxing her to calm her nerves. “Sophia, why in such a hurry? I’m sure Ethan is already planning to divorce her. Can’t you wait? I might still need Sherah.” He expressed his voice with a tinge of concern for himself.

“Wait!? Dad, I can’t wait. I should be the one married to Ethan, not her, and it's your fault for letting her waltz her way into Ethan’s life and seduce him.” She blames Sherah even though in reality she left because she thought Farwell Inc. would go bankrupt. She doesn’t want to go under with it. 

Five years ago, Farwell Inc. almost collapsed to nothingness as the VP of Finance at that time was secretly embezzling a lot of money.

But after Ethan took over everything, Farwell Inc. thrived and now Sophia wants him back.

Presently…

Sophia kept sneering at her father, “You don’t need her. You’ve been clear of your illness for almost a decade now. No one needs Sherah.” She screamed spitefully.

Silas furrowed, “We can send her far away from us,” he reasoned. 

Sophia scoffed while crossing her arms, “With the luxurious life Sherah experienced with Ethan, do you think she will let go easily? And with Rosalie Farwell at her side, Sherah wouldn’t only take Ethan’s money but the whole Farwell estate. People like her are like annoying grass. No matter how you try to remove them, they keep coming back,” she pointed out.

Rebecca nods in agreement while caressing Sophia’s hair, “Our daughter is right dear. Sherah did not sign any prenuptial agreement, which meant she could take half of Ethan’s wealth—wealth that belonged to Sophia and our family. She giggles as if murder is the norm.

“Killing Sherah would be mercy. We all know Ethan only took her in to spite our Sophia. It is best for everyone if she just dies. No more disgrace to our family and no more reminders of your infidelity.” She remarks tauntingly. “Have you forgotten how our family was shamed when she arrived? The only good thing about her is that her bone marrow matches yours. That's why we let her stay.”

“The humiliation of having such a person…” Sophia uttered in disgust.

Silas could only stay silent as his wife and daughter planned his eldest daughter’s death.

“All this planning is making me hungry,” Rebecca says while staring at her reflection in the mirror.

“How about we go to the Restaurant in the Sky?” Sophia suggested. “I know someone who works there and can easily reserve us a seat,” she said proudly as she dialed a number on her phone.

CONCURRENTLY…

In New York.

Ethan hastily looks for Sherah’s room.

Eliot, who was sitting in the corridor, noticed him and immediately got up from his seat. “Are you Sherah's husband?” he asked politely.

Ethan nods, “Are you the person that called me?” He asks nicely.

“Yes,” he paused and contemplated for a second if he should tell the husband about the supermarket incident, but before he could complete his thoughts.

Their conversation was soon interrupted when Ethan’s phone rang and he saw it was Sophia.

He moved a few steps away from Eliot and answered the call. On the other line, he heard Sophia’s frantic voice.

“Ethan, I need your help… I had a terrible accident, and I need you here," she says, her voice laced with fear.

The hospital corridor was so quiet that even with the distance between them Eliot heard Ethan’s conversation.

Eliot frowns and feels sick to his stomach listening to Ethan’s soft coaxing voice. He soon understood what Sherah meant before passing out, ~I just found something devastating…~

“Her husband is cheating…” He mumbled under his breath. 

Ethan continued to speak softly over the phone, “Don't cry. I’ll go there as soon as I can,” he uttered sweetly. “You know I’ll do anything for you. I’ll leave New York as fast as I can, okay?” He assured sweetly.

When the call ended, Ethan entered Sherah’s room, but she was still asleep.

Her face was pale, and her lips were chapped.

On the other hand, Eliot stayed nearby and remained observant of what would happen next. He had only known Sherah for a few hours, but he felt obligated to keep her safe. 

He watched how Ethan checked on Sherah with concern in his eyes, but the moment his phone buzzed, his attention was completely diverted.

~A message from Sophia.~

Soon, Ethan motioned for Eliot to enter. “I haven’t properly introduced myself to you… I’m Ethan.” 

“Eliot…” he uttered politely, then shook his hand.

“Are you leaving soon?” Ethan asked curiously.

Eliot finds his question a bit aggressive as if he was telling him to fuck off, “I could leave if you need privacy.” He suggested and was about to leave.

Ethan smiled, showing his pearly white teeth, “Don’t get me wrong. You can stay if you want, but I need to leave. I'll call someone to take care of her. I hope you can stay till the maid arrives so she won't be alone when she wakes up,” he said while typing on his phone.

Eliot clenched his fist, “Is he for real? He’s planning to leave her alone?” he said to himself in astonishment. 

He hid his shock with a grin: “Sure no problem. I actually work here. I’m a resident doctor.” He explains with a tinge of annoyance how outrageous Ethan was acting.

Ethan’s eyes widened as an idea entered his mind. 

He stares at Eliot from head to foot and Eliot finds it odd.

“He doesn’t look bad and he is a doctor. If I play my cards correctly, I can use him to entertain Sherah to make sure she won’t cause any problems when we separate and eventually get divorced,” Ethan says to himself while deleting the message he had just typed. Making sure that Sherah would be left alone with Eliot. 

He turned around, and without looking back he said, “I have an important event to attend. Take good care of her,” he demanded.

Eliot’s jaw almost dropped to the floor, “The audacity of this man.” He yelled internally as his left eye started twitching in irritation.

Abruptly, another call came in and Ethan answered hurriedly, “I’m already on my way to the airport. I’ve booked the earliest flight to Australia. You know there's nothing more important than you. See you in 24 hours.” He said with an assuring voice, forgetting that Eliot could hear him clearly.

Soon the call ended.

His hand was already on the door handle when he heard Eliot mumble something.

“I hope the other woman is worth it,” Eliot hushed incoherently.

Ethan glanced at him, “Did you say something?” He asked eagerly. 

Eliot shook his head.

The moment Ethan left the room, Eliot noticed Sherah’s irregular breathing and when he got close to her, he saw that she was awake and she heard everything.

Her face was sullen, pain inscribed on her eyes, and she was trying her best to muffle her tears. 

Without saying any words, he hugged her tightly.

Her eyes dilated in surprise. She appreciates his warmth and presence.

She hugged him back and cried harder in his arms.